Episode 10 - Bitcoin & Just War Theory

In this episode, I cover 7 things that clicked for me in my journey of learning about bitcoin, especially when comparing it to other assets like fiat, stocks, and cryptocurrencies. Let me know if any of these resonated with you and what clicked for you as you were learning about bitcoin. NOTE: I recorded this while walking. I was walking on rocks for the first couple minutes but realized it was loud, so for the last 90% the audio should be decent. Suffer through and stay for the signal!

In this episode, I discuss my idea that bitcoin = just (righteous) war theory, while fiat = just (only) war theory. Let me know in a comment / boost if you liked the episode!

Technology increases our potential, but also presents new obstacles that make it harder to reach our potential. I explain how the Tower of Babel story is really about a disruptive new technology leading humans to settle, rather than expand. I link the theme introduced in Genesis 11 to humans' current struggle to best adapt in a world with many emergent technologies, including the internet and bitcoin.

On today's episode I discuss some questions that I find very helpful as a therapist. I also discuss how these techniques are used by therapists who work with athletes. Hopefully this is helpful for improving your own mental health!

Review of Check Your Financial Privilege by Alex Gladstein. READ IT!!!

Here I review Layered Money by Nik Bhatia, a book that released in 2021. I had the wrong expectations about this book going in, so I try to clarify that this book is mainly a history of money and central banking, which highlights how money has gotten more complicated over time. Though it is not primarily a bitcoin book, at the end it emphasizes how bitcoin can simplify and improve our monetary system by being a new, incorruptible Layer 1 that does not require centralization the way gold did.

In this episode I share my thoughts on the Bitcoin Mining Handbook by Daniel Frumkin and Braiins Insights. This short book is a really useful resource for understanding how mining works and/or planning out how to profitably mine for yourself. I describe each of the three chapters: Bitcoin Mining Basics, Mining Software, and Mining Business.

In this episode I give my thoughts on Andreas Antonopoulos' 2017 book Mastering Bitcoin. The book answers a lot of "how" questions regarding Bitcoin, as it describes the Bitcoin network works: nodes, transactions, wallets, mining, and more. It's a really great textbook to add to your library and reference whenever you need more information on a certain aspect of Bitcoin.

This is my review of C. Jason Maier's A Progressive Case for Bitcoin. I start with generalities, then I give my thoughts on each chapter, and I close by giving some critiques and final thoughts. Overall, I think this book 1) has the potential for orange-pilling progressive readers and 2) will be invaluable for non-progressive audiences who will find a surprising amount of common ground with Jason.

This episode discusses the flaws of each Souls game, how Elden Ring addresses them, and what this process teaches us about bitcoin and the therapeutic process.